ELITE private schools are pushing ahead with hefty fee rises, despite non-government schools winning an estimated $28 billion in taxpayer funding and acknowledging that parents are feeling the pinch.
Fee rises average out at about 6 per cent among the nation's top private schools, much greater than the inflation rate of 1.26 per cent.
But the schools say the education component of the consumer price index is 5.6 per cent because of teacher wage blowouts, resulting from state government agreements with public school teachers, so their fee rises are proportionate.
On the whole, the rises are lower than last year's average of about 8 per cent, and many schools have instituted flexible payment plans.
However, there have been several cases in NSW and Victoria of private schools taking parents to court to recover unpaid fees, and in some cases instituting bankruptcy proceedings against the parents.
Some of the largest fee rises for this year were posted by Queensland schools, with Brisbane Girls' Grammar and East Brisbane's Anglican Church Grammar School, known as Churchie, raising their fees by about 8 per cent.
Clayfield College, a Brisbane independent school for girls, will lift its fees by 7 per cent to $12,120.
NSW and Perth schools posted some large rises of 7 per cent and beyond, while Victoria's elite private schools kept their increases under 5.5 per cent.
Geelong Grammar, the most expensive school in the nation, posted a 5.5 per cent rise, taking its fees to $27,700, while Melbourne's Scotch College has increased fees by 4.7 per cent to $22, 572.
In Sydney, the Kings School increased fees by 5.5 per cent to $24,730 while Kambala logged a 7 per cent rise to $26,172.
Among Perth's top private schools, Hale School hiked its fees by 8 per cent to $17,820 while Christ Church Grammar's rose 7 per cent to $18,800. Guildford Grammar lifted its fees by 6.1 per cent to $15,725 and Presbyterian Ladies College Perth increased fees by 7 per cent to $18,648.
In South Australia, Adelaide's Scotch College has raised fees by 5.5 per cent to $19,160 from $18,160 last year, although this year's figure includes some extras.
Pembroke's fees rose by 5.9 per cent to $17,280.
Prince Alfred College increased fees by 6 per cent to $16,110 from $15,198 while St Peters Girls school's fees are up 5.9 per cent to $15,750 and Pulteney Grammar's fees rose by 6 per cent to $15,490.
Private schools chalked up a win in 2008 when the Rudd government rolled over the Howard-era SES funding model for 2009-12, effectively handing the non-government sector an estimated $28bn in public funding.
According to commonwealth figures, that is $6bn more than the previous funding period.
Private schools have also secured millions in capital funding under the Rudd government's stimulus package.
The national body representing private schools, the National Council of Independent Schools' Associations, said schools were conscious of the strain the economic slowdown had placed on parents but increases in teachers' wages, which make up 70 per cent of schools' costs, meant rises had to be greater than inflation.
The Victorian Independent Education Union's general secretary Deb James said blaming teachers' wages was a "furphy" and most top schools were paying only a little above public sector wage rises.
Victorian teachers set the pace for wages on the eastern seaboard, securing increases of between 4 per cent and 8 per cent a year in 2008. Private school rates are negotiated school by school, but the starting point is usually the last public sector agreement in the relevant state.
Bill Daniels, the council's executive director, said he was suspicious of any attempts to survey schools fees because there were too many schools to cover.
He said schools were trying to keep fees low and were being flexible with struggling parents.
"Schools are very careful about movements in fees so they don't put themselves in the unaffordable bracket," he said.
Ian Dalton, the executive director of the Australian Parents Council, said the most common source of complaints was schools imposing increases without explaining the reasons to parents.
"In the current economic climate a lot of parents have been feeling the pinch," he said.
"In times like that, when they pay in some cases significant amounts of money in school fees, they should be able to be assured that the increase is warranted. It depends how the school handles it . . . there are still some bastions of the old guard who think what a school does is its own business."
Mr Daniels acknowledged the commonwealth's schools building package had provided a capital boost for schools, but some had combined the government grants with their own money to embark on more ambitious projects.
"That potentially has some impact on fee levels but it varies from school to school," he said.
Kevin Tutt, the headmaster of Adelaide's Prince Alfred College, said staff salary increases were the main reason for fees rising.
Principal Tim Oughton of Scotch College, also in Adelaide, said the school was aware it was a high fee school and that parents were hurting.
"One of the things the finance committee is acutely aware of is some parents have come to us and asked for an extension on paying fees," he said.
A survey by the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia found that fees at the state's 95 independent schools, excluding Catholic schools, would rise in 2010 by an average 6.3 per cent.
"Schools tell us that the big cost drivers are increases in salaries, information and communication technology upgrades and escalating government regulatory and compliance costs," executive director Garry Le Duff said. "Another driver this year is curriculum development to ensure that schools stay ahead of the game with innovative responses to the needs of students and families."
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